HEKS/EPER is making a difference in the «Daily structure and occupation» in Armenia

The HEKS/EPER Programme in Armenia is part of the South Caucasus Regional Programme. The idea is to foster peaceful coexistence and improve living conditions in rural areas through income-generating activities and by strengthening civil society. To boost their crop yields and incomes, smallholders broaden their knowledge of organic farming and improve their access to infrastructure, micro-credits and markets. And to strengthen social cohesion, HEKS/EPER supports its partner organizations in building a network which, in collaboration with opinion leaders, media and civil society organizations, provides its members with unbiased information about politics, society and the current conflicts in the South Caucasus.

Facts

In South Caucasus, HEKS/EPER helped some 5400 fruit and milk producers increase their income in 2017.

560 young people developed a joint vision of peace through constructive dialogue.

The consequences of long-term unemployment are often social isolation and ill-health in addition to poverty. There is no structured daily routine, and social contacts fall away. Asylum seekers, temporarily admitted persons and recognized refugees are often jobless and living in isolation. Without a permanent residence permit it is difficult for these people to develop real prospects or a sustaining daily structure. Through various employment schemes in the regions of Aargau/Solothurn, Basel Stadt/Baselland, Berne, Eastern Switzerland, Western Switzerland and Zurich/Schaffhausen, HEKS/EPER is making it possible for jobless people to be meaningfully occupied.